John Cox Stevens
American yacht racer (1785–1857)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Cox Stevens (September 24, 1785 – June 10, 1857) was the founding Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. He was a member of the America syndicate which, in 1851, won the trophy that would become the America's Cup.
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John Cox Stevens | |
|---|---|
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| Born | September 24, 1785 Hoboken, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | June 10, 1857 (aged 71) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Spouse |
Maria Cambridge Livingston
(m. 1809) |
| Parent(s) | Rachel Cox John Stevens III |
| Relatives | Robert L. Stevens (brother) Edwin A. Stevens (brother) See Stevens family |
Early life
Stevens was born at his family's estate at Castle Point in Hoboken, New Jersey on September 24, 1785.[1] He was the eldest son of Col. John Stevens, a revolutionary war veteran, pioneer in steamboats, and purchaser of what is now Hoboken, and Rachel Cox, who was from New Brunswick, New Jersey. His brothers included Robert Livingston Stevens, a businessman and inventor, and Edwin Augustus Stevens, who founded the Stevens Institute of Technology.[2]
His paternal grandparents were John Stevens Jr., a prominent New Jersey politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Elizabeth (née Alexander) Stevens, who was the daughter of James Alexander, the Attorney General of New Jersey, and Mary (née Spratt) Provoost Alexander, a prominent merchant.[3] His aunt Mary Stevens married Robert R. Livingston, the first Chancellor of the State of New York.[4]
Career
Stevens graduated from Columbia University in 1803. He ran the company that had the first steam ferry between Hoboken, New Jersey and New York City.[5]
Yachting
John Cox Stevens, the sporting son in the family, built a series of yachts. In 1844, on board his yacht, Gimcrack, he was named Commodore of the New York Yacht Club which he and nine others had just proposed forming.[6][7]
Stevens once served as president of The Jockey Club and set up the 1823 Great North-South Match. The race stoked sectional tensions when the Northern horse, "American Eclipse", defeated the southern colt, "Sir Henry". The northern victory encouraged a northern enthusiasm for horse racing but embarrassed southerners with their pretensions of superiority in breeding, training, and racing horses. He was also a founding member of New York's oldest gentlemen's society, the Union Club of which he served as the second president.[1] He introduced cricket to the United States.[8]
Personal life
On December 27, 1809, he was married to Maria Cambridge Livingston (1799–1865), a member of the socially prominent Livingston family.[9] Maria was the daughter of Robert "Cambridge" Livingston and Elsie Swift Livingston and the granddaughter of Robert Livingston, the 3rd Lord of Livingston Manor.[1] John and Maria did not have any children.[2]
During his early years, he lived at Annandale.[5] After his marriage, they lived in a house called Red Hook, north of Poughkeepsie, New York on the Livingston Manor. During Stevens' time as a horse racer, they lived in a "farmhouse on Long Island, a few miles outside Brooklyn and only three miles from the Union Course."[10] In 1845, the Stevens moved to New York City,[10] where he built a Grecian mansion, known as "Stevens' Palace", located at the corner of College Place and Murray Street and designed by prominent architect Alexander Jackson Davis.[11]
Stevens died in New York City on June 10, 1857.[5] He was buried in the family crypt located under Christ Church in South Amboy, New Jersey.[2]
Legacy
Stevens was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1994 and the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2012.[12]